Huertas's late heroics lead Baskonia past Milan

In a thriller that went down to the wire, KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz grabbed his ninth win in the by edging AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan 80-75 at Fernando Buesa Arena on Friday. Baskonia improved to 9-10 in the standings and entered playoffs territory, as it ranks 8th overall. Milan dropped to 8-11 and is now 9th in the standings. Vincent Poirier led the winners with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Marcelinho Huertas added 13 points, Shavon Shields had 12, Johannes Voigtmann 11 and 10 rebounds while Luca Vildoza dished 12 assists for Baskonia. Mike James led Milan with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

Huertas hit a jumper and fed Matt Janning for a corner triple that gave Baskonia a 5-2 lead. James sank a fallaway jumper that Matt Janning bettered with a three-pointer. James and Vladimir Micov fueled an 0-8 run that gave Milan its first lead, 10-12. Jeff Brooks swished a jumper, Dairis Bertans struck from downtown and James downed a mid-range shot for a 16-21 Milan lead after 10 minutes. Shields scored twice around the basket early in the second quarter but Andrea Cinciarini and Arturas Gudaitis kept Milan in charge, 20-27. Voigtmann hit a triple and fed Poirier for a jump hook but three-pointers by Curtis Jerrells and Mindaugas Kuzminskas made Baskonia call timeout 25-33. Vildoza nailed a three-pointer but Gudaitis and a red hot Kuzminskas restored a 32-41 Milan edge, and an unstoppable James struck twice from beyond the arc, before Shields and Darrun Hilliard brought Baskonia within 42-49 at halftime. Poirier and Voigtmann made it a three-point game, 46-49, right after the break. Gudaitis dunked but a layup by Poirier and a huge slam by Voigtmann made it a one-point game, 50-51. Shields made a three-pointer and Vildoza completed Baskonia's comeback, 56-55. Shields and Jerrells traded driving layups and Huertas scored in the low post for a 62-59 Baskonia lead. Hilliard took over with an acrobatic shot early in the fourth quarter but Cinciarini quickly answered with a layup. Ilimane Diop scored twice to make it a seven-point game, 68-61, with 6 minutes left. Micov hit a floater and a three-pointer by James made Baskonia call timeout, 68-66. Voigtmann scored around the basket, Cinciarini split free throws and a layup by James got Milan even closer, 70-69. Poirier ignited the crowd with consecutive dunks and Huertas hit his trademark floater but James kept the guests within 76-74 with 40.4 seconds to go. But Huertas hit foul shots and added a layup to seal the outcome.

Pivotal performer

Vincent Poirier was really effective in the paint, finishing the game with 17 points on 8-of-10 two-point shots. He added 8 rebounds - 3 on the offensive end - 3 assists and a block for a PIR of 26. Moreover, he limited Arturas Gudaitis to just 9 points, 5 rebounds and a PIR of 6. Poirier definitely won the battle in the paint.

Game-changing moment

Milan never gave up and managed to get within 76-74 with 40.4 seconds to go. With Baskonia in need of a go-to guy, Marcelinho Huertas drew a foul and calmly made free throws. When Mike James went 1-of-3 from the foul line, Huertas was smart enough to race downcourt and get an easy layup that sealed the outcome.

Stellar stat

Milan scored 49 points before halftime but just 26 after the break. The guests hit 7-of-13 three-point shots (53.9%) in the first half, but once Baskonia made adjustments, Milan converted just 1-of-8 shots from downtown (12.5%) in the final 20 minutes.

Did you notice?

Not only Baskonia did get the win, but also took the tie-break advantage in case both teams tie at the end of the regular season. Milan registered a 93-90 home win in Round 8, but a three-pointer by Baskonia’s Matt Janning with 2 seconds left in that game, and Huertas's final basket tonight, allowed Baskonia to get the tie-breaker.

Head Coaches

PERASOVIC, VELIMIR

KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

"I think we played an excellent game in the first half but then we did 3-4 mistakes at the end of the first half and at halftime the gap was not enough for us compared to what we did, only 7 points. We made another big mistake in the first possession of the second half - we let them score 4 points - one free throw, offensive rebound and a three-pointer in the same action. Like that, the game became a tight one and we were not able to resist Baskonia, that came back with a lot of pressure. We missed too many things on offense and I think that to win here, we need more. Our guards missed free throws, missed 2-3 easy baskets inside and 3-4 easy spot-up three-point shots, and if we want to beat Baskonia at their home, we need to score those shots. My players put everything, but we didn't play with enough quality in the second half to win the game. I think that we made a good effort on defense for a big part of the game but since both teams had injuries, it went down to mistakes in the end. Of course, Baskonia received more energy from the fans, playing at home."

"They killed in the first two quarters with their performance on offense, but scored only 26 points in the second half. We played more compact, like a team, wanted it more, took every rebound and they were not scoring in transition. That was the key - defense is always key. The important thing is that we won today. It was an important game for us because we played against a direct opponent. We cannot think of other things. We are using the players that we have and are happy with the victory."

PIANIGIANI, SIMONE

AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan

"I think we played an excellent game in the first half but then we did 3-4 mistakes at the end of the first half and at halftime the gap was not enough for us compared to what we did, only 7 points. We made another big mistake in the first possession of the second half - we let them score 4 points - one free throw, offensive rebound and a three-pointer in the same action. Like that, the game became a tight one and we were not able to resist Baskonia, that came back with a lot of pressure. We missed too many things on offense and I think that to win here, we need more. Our guards missed free throws, missed 2-3 easy baskets inside and 3-4 easy spot-up three-point shots, and if we want to beat Baskonia at their home, we need to score those shots. My players put everything, but we didn't play with enough quality in the second half to win the game. I think that we made a good effort on defense for a big part of the game but since both teams had injuries, it went down to mistakes in the end. Of course, Baskonia received more energy from the fans, playing at home."

Players

POIRIER, VINCENT

KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

"It was a great win, we needed this one! I think we worked hard for this win - they only scored 26 points in the second half and that was the key. It is a great win and we are very, very happy to win this one. We have to continue to the next one. The goal is to be in the playoffs and right now, we are 8th, so we are good for the moment. We need to continue like that. We have to keep winning at home and take some games on the road."

VOIGTMANN, JOHANNES

KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

"We were down a little bit in the beginning of the season and fought back, step by step. Especially against teams in similar position as we are, it is very, very important to win and very, very important to have the tie-breaker, too. We did a good job stopping them, especially in the second half, and that is what helped us win."